During January–February 2005 a salvage excavation was conducted in the village of Sheikh Danon (Permit No. A-4368*; map ref. NIG 2145/7665; OIG 1645/2665), prior to its expansion. The excavation, on behalf of the Antiquities Authority and financed by the Ministry of Construction and Housing, was directed by L. Porat, with the assistance of Y. Ya‘aqoby (administration), V. Essman and V. Pirsky (surveying) and H. Smithline (photography).
R. Frankel and N. Getzov conducted a survey in the area, which revealed quarries and cupmarks, within the Survey Map of ‘Amqa ([5]; in preparation). The present excavation was carried out on the eastern slope, at the edge of the village, c. 20 m east of the cemetery, on a chalk bedrock surface. A large quarry, the beginning of a small quarry and cupmarks were exposed on the bedrock surface.
Quarries
A large quarry (length 15 m, width c. 6 m, depth c. 0.3–1.5 m; Fig. 1) in the northern part of the area was used for quarrying ashlar stones (size of stones c. 0.6 × 0.8 m). The middle of the area was completely quarried and steps were hewn on the eastern, southern and western margins. The negatives of the extracted stones and a deep groove that served as a severance channel were visible. A small surface in the southern part of the quarry was probably used as a winepress, judging by the lines of the rock-cutting prior to its use as a quarry. To the south of the quarry were signs of another rock quarry that was probably unsuitable and thus, not completed.
After the quarry was no longer in use, it was filled with quarry debris and covered with soil for agricultural use (Fig. 2).
The quarry was devoid of diagnostic finds.
Cupmarks
Two large adjacent cupmarks (diam. 0.46–0.54; depth 0.25–0.35 m; Fig. 3) were hewn on a flat bedrock surface to the south of the quarry. At a distance of 2 m to their south, a concentration of several poorly preserved cupmarks (diam. 0.09–0.35 m) and a niche (diam. 74 mm) were recorded.